Sprucestead

Sprucestead (/sprucestead/ [Translation Unavailable]) is a subtropical Large Town located in Pube Zajumuku County, Movayavapu County, within the Kingdom of Helsteria.

The name Sprucestead is derived from the Sylvin language, as Sprucestead was founded by Brëkarë Baines Babel Sanderson, who was culturaly Sylvin.

Climate

Sprucestead has a yearly average temperature of 31°C (87°F), with its average temperature during the summer being a blistering 36°C (96°F) and its average temperature during the winter being a warm 27°C (80°F). Sprucestead receives an average of 111 cm/y (43 in/y) of precipitation, most of which comes in the form of rain during the spring. Sprucestead covers an area of nearly 6 km² (2 mi²), and an average elevation of 11534 m (-5108 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Sprucestead was founded durring the late 13th century in fall of the year 1197, by Brëkarë Baines Babel Sanderson. The establishment of Sprucestead was plagued by a lack of willing colonists. After attempts to pay people to resettle failed Brëkarë Baines Babel Sanderson struck deals with nearby nations and communities to establish Sprucestead as a prison colony.

Sprucestead was built using the conventions of Sylvin durring the late 13th century. Naturaly, all settlmentss have their own look to them, and Sprucestead is no diffrent. The town's buildings feature timber framed wooden shiethed or brick construction, which gives form to a very formalized, rational, expence effishent arcatectural style based on strictly symmetrical designs which universaly feature pitched roofs, shutters, and the occasional column or pilaster for a decorative touch.

Sprucestead is buildings are located arround a single premissive baked earthen mainstreet which forms a clockwise spiral to give the town a over all circular shape. The town rests behind a thin stone wall. The wall's design was likly directly copied from a castle's parmiter defences. It's simply that the arcatect made Sprucestead's wall substancialy thinner than a castle's walls. While the towers and gatehouses are adiquite, the obvious cost savings measure of making the walls drasticaly thinner reduces their ability to resist siege weapons greatly. The town's impressive-looking wall could fail at a critical moment in battle, and would likely not even resist a few bandits with improvised siege equipment. The budget oriented have not been wellmaintained over the years, and while functional are in dire need of some loving care and perhapse light renovation.

Before you’ve even set foot into the heart of Sprucestead, you can smell it. The incense. It hangs about the town like a cloud. Monks, priests, and clerics are everywhere, all dedicated to the same divine, all performing the same rituals to bless and anoint buildings, streets, people, animals, you name it they are or have blessed it. The same holy symbol is everywhere too. Its on buildings, on people, and even branded into livestock. This certainly loves its divine. Asside form the revrent worship, you can see the citizens are preparing for something, and that something isn’t good. Weapons are worn openly. Defensive structures have been recently constructed to guard less used areas of the town. Merchants seem very eager to sell their wares at discount prices. Something is coming.

Civic Infrastructure

Sprucestead has an Office of Civil Groundskeeping, which works to enforce local ordinances relating to the construction and upkeep up of all plant life, water features, and other natural decorations within Sprucestead. They are also responsible for the maintenance of these features. Notably, the OCG is not responsible for Sprucestead's parks.

Sprucestead has an Office of Civil Vicary, which is responsible for providing a livelyhood for all officialy recognised religious figures within Sprucestead.

Sprucestead has a Gravedigger's Guild, which is responsible for collecting the dead and laying them to rest according to all applicable laws and religious customs.

Sprucestead has a Highwayman's Guild, which is tasked with maintaining the roads and highways leading into town as well as keeping them safe for travelers.

Sprucestead has a monistary of an order of Civil Monks, who provide divine-related services to the general public and maintain Sprucestead's public wards, blessings, and other arcane systems.

Sprucestead possesses a Galvanic Power Grid, which brings galvanic current to most if not all buildings in town, and permits a great many consumer goods to function within the Large Town. Sprucestead's grid is powered by a god's will and kindness.

Sprucestead has a Parks and Recreation Department, which is responsible for the construction, management, and usage rights for all of its parks and parklands. They are not to be confused with the Office of Civil Groundskeeping as they do not hold authority over nor responsibility for Sprucestead's natural decorations nor waterways.

Sprucestead has a Guild of Roadworkers, who are responsible for maintaining the roadways and public paths within town. They also have the duty of enforcing all civil laws relating to the roadways.

Sprucestead has a public schooling program overseen by the Hall of Sages who has the responsibility of ensuring access to affordable high-quality education in all basic classes (Reading, Writing, Mathmatics, General Sciences, General Arcana, and Social Education) is made available to all citizens.

Sprucestead has a public septic system, which allows its citizens to have indoor bathrooms. The septic system is overseen by the League of Sewerkeepers, who posses the legal authority to enforce all laws relating to the septic system, and are also tasked with its maintenance and upkeep.

Cultural Notes

Sprucestead's town hall was built using a different architectural style from the rest of the town. The style used makes use of a large oblong hall or building with double colonnades and a semicircular apse and symmetrical central-plan, resulting in buildings with a square central mass and four arms of equal length. Decorative features included domed rooves, arches, soaring spaces, and sumptuous decoration: marble columns and inlay, mosaics on the vaults, inlaid-stone pavements, and sometimes gold coffered ceilings.

Due to the actions of local Kami, summer is recurring in Sprucestead.

The Guardian, Graven near Sprucestead are known to be almost tame, such that they can be put to domestic use.

Sprucestead's citizens partake in a curious ritual relating to their local kami. It takes place in autumn and involves drinking to channel Summoning energies of tier 2 via oratory performances.

Economy

The following information was obtained via the Imperial Census Bureau as part of the Eyom Economic Outreach Program. It differs from Standard Imperial censuses in that many of Tom's citizens, regardless of culture, work in more than one occupation or hold more than a single job. The Imperial Census Bureau has ruled that a job is a job, hence, the intigers within the data presented here can count an individual more than once.

Sprucestead Census Data: Year 2000

516 of Sprucestead's population work within a Foundational Occupation.

• 31 work in Agriculture
• 114 work as Craftsmen
• 43 work as Merchants
• 85 work as Service Workers
• 51 work as General Laborers
• 19 work as Skilled Laborers
• 74 work as Civil Servants
• 46 work in Cottage Industries
• 24 work as Artists
• 29 work in Produce Industries

997 of Sprucestead's population do not work in a formal occupation, but do contribute to the local economy. 113 (7%) are noncontributers.

Points of Interest

Sprucestead is centered around a major pilgrimage site. This may be a religious location of importance to a major faith, or it may be a more secular institution that draws the traffic, like a famous academy or the remains of some wondrous ancient work. Considerable local tension likely exists over controlling the access to the site and maximizing the profits from foreign visitors.

Sprucestead is known for its unusual rock formations.

POI

History

In time immemorial, reportedly some time during the early 2nd century, Sprucestead was attacked by members of a peasant revolt. The details of the conflict are hazy at best due to many conflicting accounts. What is known is Sprucestead lost 113 people, 186 livestock, and 88 buildings. The conflict ended after roughly 38, when members of Sprucestead's militia enacted an operation to deliver supplies to a particular solgiers group. The operation was complicated by a natural disaster interrupted the operation, shattering unit cohesion. The conflict ended with pitched battle between both forces, which ended in defeat for Sprucestead's forces. The war is remembered in legend by Sprucestead's bards, historians, and legend keepers.

History